The preliminary results of the census, released this morning, show some interesting results.

1. The Population

There are now 4,757,976 people in Ireland.

2. The Biggest Change in Population

Fingal in Dublin shows the highest change in population, with the number of people living there up 8pc compared the the last count five years ago.

3. The Population in the Capital

The population of Dublin has increased to 1,345,402.

4. The Biggest Drop in Population

In Donegal the population in the county decreased by 1.5pc. The biggest drop across the country.

5. The Population per TD

The population per TD across the country has increased to 30,114. There are 25 constituencies who now have more than the constitutional limit of 30,000. The CSO said that the results are preliminary and any change to the number of TDs will have to be based on the definitive results but it is likely there will be need for at least 1 new TD.

6. The Number of Vacant Houses

The number of vacant houses fell by 13.6pc and the data shows that household formation has falling behind population growth over the last five years. Households are getting bigger in Fingal and Dublin bucking the trends of previous surveys. There are currently 259,562 vacant homes around the country.

7. The Number of Holiday Homes

The data also shows that while holiday homes increased slightly the number of vacant holiday homes in Dublin city centre increased to almost 1,000 (937).

8. Finally - Net Migration

Meanwhile it is estimated that net migration over the five years is -28,558. Based on annual population change the CSO said it may have been underestimating emigration in recent years.